Meet the Serena Williams of PR & Luxury

Kate writes lifestyle articles about luxury hotels, spas, lifestyle and far flung holiday destinations for Epicurean Life for some years and recently for Spear’s Wealth Magazine and marketing pages for the IWSR Magazine(International Wines & Spirits Report). Kate is also consummate PR and communications expert who specialises in writing, creating and delivering B2B and B2C integrated strategic campaigns for luxury brands within the art, food and drink, luxury lifestyle, spa and hotel industries. She has represented the Van Gogh Museum Editions Collection in the UK and the brilliant Lebanese artist Kelly Halabi. She lives in London UK has lived in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong.

Photo courtesy of Kate Wake-Walker

What made you start your own PR company? How does art and luxury play a role in your practice?

I began my own PR consultancy so that I could apply my experience and skillset with a variety of different companies at the same time. Running my own shop allows me to develop my own techniques and contacts.

Art and luxury are big sectors and I have been writing about travel, spas and art for some years for a luxury lifestyle magazine called Epicurean Life. I have expanded to other publications such as Spear’s Wealth Magazine and have also applied my PR and communications skills to brands within those industries.

You previously dealt with Van Gogh pieces, how did that come about? How was the experience?

I was approached by an ex-colleague from the advertising industry who was promoting the van Gogh Museum Editions Collection and asked me to become a partner in the UK for the distribution company Tribute International. It was a unprecedented launch in UK and although we had successful events it was hard to make sales as the idea of high end scanning of priceless art is in its infancy. It is the way forward an people are slowly purchasing Editions of art that is not available for sale.

The art and luxury world can be intimidating to get into, what advice would you give artists and luxury start ups in creating and promoting their brands?

I would say that identifying your target market and product placement at events and sponsorship are the best ways to reach them.